


Somebirdie to Love

by halfeatenmoon



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Bird forms, Christmas, F/M, Sakuya route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 02:22:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8950066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfeatenmoon/pseuds/halfeatenmoon
Summary: It's the first Christmas since Sakuya's father kicked him out, and Sakuya's not looking forward to it. But at least he still has the good manners of his upbringing, and he's going to do something special for Hiyoko even if he has no idea what to buy humans even when he's not flat broke.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaraJaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/gifts).



> This is set in the timeline of Sakuya's full ending, so nobody has the knowledge of anything that was revealed in the BBL. I went with bird forms because I couldn't imagine them otherwise - even with all the questions that raises about how a pigeon can play the piano. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Yuletide!

Sakuya wakes on Christmas Eve with his feathers fluffed up in the cold, nestled into the back of Hiyoko’s neck. He’d been waking later and later as winter deepened and the nights got longer, but he still woke first, well before the first rays of sunlight reached the cave.

He stayed there for a moment, pressing his slight, downy body closer to Hiyoko, chasing her warmth for a few more minutes before they got up for school. She rolled over, still asleep, and pulled him against her chest. He cooed softly and closed his eyes again. It had been almost a year since his father kicked him out, and he still couldn’t believe his luck in having Hiyoko to support him the way she did.

And yet today, even having a warm place to sleep and someone cheering for him at his concerts – however indecorously – wasn’t enough to make him feel good. A year ago, he’d performed at the Le Bel mansion Christmas banquet, the finest, most extravagant Christmas party in the whole city. Tonight they would hold the banquet again; this time, without him. He’d chosen his path, and he didn’t regret it, but on days like today he still felt furious that he had to choose.

It didn’t make him feel any better when Yuuya landed at the mouth of the cave just as they were getting ready for school.

“Brother,” he said, in his rich voice. “Good morning, and merry Christmas. I hope you are well.”

“I would have preferred it if you had called before visiting.”

“Oh, don’t be such a stick in the mud,” Hiyoko said, scratching the top of Yuuya’s head. “Merry Christmas to you too, Yuuya.”

“Of course it’s merry when I get to see you, mon ami.” He tilted his head back and kissed her fingers.

Sakuya picked up his schoolbag and cleared his throat loudly. “We were just about ready to leave.”

“Excellent,” said Yuuya. “I came here to walk you to school.”

“What! But Hiyoko…”

“Oh, you two go on without me,” Hiyoko grinned. “It’ll be good for you to spend some time together! Besides, I’m not nearly ready to go yet. I still have to rustle up a good hunter-gatherer breakfast or I’ll be no use at school at all. I’ll meet up with Ryouta to walk to school, just like the old days!”

“Delightful.” Yuuya pushed Sakuya to the mouth of the cave, ignoring his ruffled feathers and outraged squawks. “He’ll see you in homeroom, Hiyoko-san. Merry Christmas!”

*

“Rude,” Sakuya grumbled, as they headed down the path from the cave. “You’re still so uncouth.”

“We’re one and the same, brother, where the noblebird is concerned.”

“Yes, but at least I try to remember my upbringing.”

Sakuya had slowly, painfully broken the habit of thinking of Yuuya as a mongrel over the last ten months. He still sometimes struggled to accept that on being cast out from his family, he had no more claim to aristocracy than anyone else around him. The fact that Yuuya was happy to remind him that they now had the same status in their family’s eyes didn’t make it any easier.

“I know,” was all Yuuya said in reply. For once there was no teasing, no needling Sakuya’s haughtiness, and Sakuya didn’t know what to say in reply.

“Why did you want to walk to school with me today?”

Yuuya gazed up at the sky. “I’ve never been to one of the Le Bel feasts, but I’ve heard the stories. I don’t regret not going, but as one who was previously beloved by the family, I thought you might miss it.”

“Hmph.” Sakuya looked at his feet as they walked, instead. Dancing, fine food, and a ballroom full of other wealthy associates applauding the music… “Well, yes. I do. But I still perform, and I… I have Hiyoko, she’s sort of my family now, and…”

“And I’m still your brother,” Yuuya said, amused. “It’s okay to say you miss it. It doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.”

“I… I miss it.” It was hard to force the words past his beak. They shuffled on for a few more steps. “Saying I miss it doesn’t make it feel any better, though. Thank you for trying to talk to me, but nothing can make it good. It’s just a miserable day I have to get through. Tomorrow will be better.”

“Hmmm,” Yuuya said. There was a twinkle in his eye. That was always worrying. “Have you considered giving, Sakuya? You might find it makes you feel better after all.”

“What on earth are you nattering about?”

“Giving! Christmas is a good time for giving. Doing something kind or giving a gift to somebody else. Trying to make somebody else happy.”

Sakuya rolled the idea around in his head for a moment. There was no reason not to try doing something kind for somebody else, but… “What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Play some lovely music for free in the street, perhaps? Spend some quality time with your charming brother?”

“I thought the goal was to make me feel better.”

Yuuya laughed. “Of course, in Japan, Christmas is a time for romance. Perhaps you could find a romantic gift for the lovely Hiyoko.”

Against all Sakuya’s preconceptions, that thought really did make him feel lighter. Hiyoko had done so much for him, and the thought of giving something back to her was… rather lovely.

“What am I supposed to do, though?”

“Ah, now that part is up to you.”

“What!” Sakuya puffed his feathers up again, outraged. “You’re my brother! And you’re older! And you’re supposed to be such a hit with the ladies. Why can’t you tell me what to do for her?”

“What I know is that there’s no one way to woo a lady; instead, each must be wooed on her own terms.” He winked. “I’m sure you can think of the best thing to do for your Hiyoko. Who knows her better than you?”

*

At the end of home room, Sakuya approached their teacher, puffing out his chest. “Mister Nanaki, I need to speak to you.”

“Oh?” Nanaki blinked at him. “I have to meet with Doctor Iwamine. Can you walk with me?”

“This… this is official business. As class president!” Sakuya said. “It must be in private!”

Nanaki was already wandering out into the corridor, though, and Sakuya had no choice but to hurry behind him.

“I need your advice. It’s Christmas Eve…”

“Oh! Is it?” Nanaki looked at the corridor wall as if he was going to find a calendar between classrooms 2-2 and 2-3.

“Yes. And I… I want to get someone a gift, but I’ve very little money. What… what should I do?”

“Christmas is very important,” Nanaki said. “Life is precious. It’s too easy to lose the people you love the most. Why, when I was your age… I… well… it’s good that you want to do something nice for your friend. Keep them close, Sakuya, remember that…”

“But what can I get her when I have no money?” Sakuya blurted out.

Unfortunately, they had reached the staff room and Nanaki had immediately dozed off.

“Ohoho, a gift for your human friend, is it?” the doctor asked, his eyes dancing. “Perhaps you should look into the old human Christmas customs. It was very important to them, at Christmas, to eat a huge roast bird…”

It was time to leave. Clearly the doctor didn’t know how to take this seriously.

*

Sakuya headed to the library at lunch break, aiming to do some research. Time was limited, though, and it was hard to know how to research effectively. The library didn’t have any books titled ‘Gift-giving for Commoners’. Or indeed, any guide books aimed at commoners. It was very poor collection management, Sakuya thought, given the number of commoners who attended the school.

They seem to do okay.

Sakuya thought he heard a voice, but when he turned he saw nobirdie there. And really, absolutely nobirdie. He was the only one in the library right now; he knew, because he’d tried to find a librarian to help him locate a more useful work.

Might as well talk, if there was nobody else there.

“How am I supposed to come up with a good gift for Hiyoko if the staff here can’t even be bothered to turn up?” he said, loudly.

You can’t just buy any gift, it depends on who it’s for.

Exactly what Yuuya had said. “Someone should at least know something about what to give humans, though!”

There was a true silence then. Not even the whisper of a thought. Sakuya was just about to leave when he heard the voice, just in his head, saying I knew some humans, once.

“And?” Sakuya asked, impatiently.

They were kind. It seemed like what they wanted the most was to help others. They didn’t want gifts for Christmas – they gave what they could to the pigeon orphanage, instead.

Sakuya slumped, his wings trailing on the ground. A year ago, when he was still in his father’s favour and had plenty of money, he could have given all kinds of gifts to the orphanage. He could have bought up a whole fancy dinner and taken Hiyoko with him to deliver it. She would have loved that. She seemed to love nothing more than doing kind things for other people. But now he had barely enough to keep himself going.

“Thanks for trying,” he said, and made his way towards the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

In the empty library, Nageki stared at the closed door. “I suppose scarves are good too, in this cold,” he said, belatedly.

*

Sakuya almost missed Ryouta. He had to rush out of the school grounds to catch him after the last class ended.

“Hi, Sakuya,” Ryouta said, cheerfully. “Sorry I can’t stop.”

“Really?” Sakuya asked, panting. “What’s the rush?”

“Oh, I just have to get to work, as usual.”

Sakuya firmly refused to think about whether he could be a better friend to Hiyoko if he took up a commoner’s part time job like Ryouta did. “Okay, well, I’ll walk with you, I guess. Ryouta, you know Hiyoko, right? Like, really well?”

“Yeah, of course! We’ve been friends since I was practically still in the egg. Why?”

“I want to do something nice for her, for Christmas. A gift. But I don’t know what you’re supposed to get for gifts. Everybirdie says it depends on the person. Nobody knows her better than you. What would Hiyoko like?”

“Hmm, that’s a good question. She’s pretty easy to please.” Ryouta cooed to himself as he walked. “I suppose things for the cave are nice, or anything that helps keep you guys warm in the winter… or, hey, have you thought of asking her?”

“I can’t ask her,” Sakuya began, ready to explain why it wouldn’t seem like nearly enough of a thank you if Hiyoko had to decide what her gift was. But then it struck him – he didn’t need to ask. He’d asked her already, a long time ago. 

*

Sakuya is so focused on the cooking fire that he doesn’t notice anyone approaching the cave until a loud scraping noise makes him start and almost drop his chopsticks into the pot. He stares at the mouth of the cave, feathers raised, to see a small upright piano being shoved across the stone floor.

“Sakuya!” says Hiyoko, her head appearing from behind the piano. “You’re home already!”

“I’m… yes, yes I am.” He shakes himself and turns to preen a few feathers back into place before he can answer. “Hiyoko, what is this?”

“A piano, of course! I know you have the one in the music room to practice on, but I thought it would be extra nice to have something at home. You can get in even more practice for your next performance.”

“But Hiyoko… it’s…” the words were on the tip of his beak. It’s too much. A year ago, such words would never have occurred to him; nothing could be too much for a Le Bel. But this was too much, surely more than either of them could afford between Hiyoko’s summer jobs and Sakuya’s performances.

There were good reasons he hadn’t thrown out all the lessons of his noble upbringing, though. He could still try to live by what his father taught him about grace.

“Thank you,” he said, sincerely, and fluttered over to perch on the piano. “It’s beautiful. I’m so grateful that you would do this when you’ve already done so much for me.”

“Awww, it was nothing.” She pushed the hair out of her eyes. “Gotta get you practicing so you can nail those concert solos!”

Sakuya flipped open the keyboard cover and tested a few of the keys. “This is still a pretty big piano for one human to move. How did you get it up to the cave by yourself?”

“Coo! Coo!” (Hiyoko was not alone! She did it with the help of the strong and fearless Okosan!)

“Yeah, Okosan couldn’t wait to help when I said I needed help with a feat of strength.”

“Ah,” said Sakuya, flatly. “Yes, I should have guessed.” A La Bel is always gracious, he reminded himself. “Thank you too, Okosan. I don’t know how I’ll repay –“

“COO!” (PUDDING!)

“In a moment, Okosan,” Hiyoko said. She leaned on the back of the piano, resting her chin on her hands. “Right now I want to hear Sakuya play.”

Sakuya looked over the keyboard, ran his flight feathers lightly over the keys. Cautiously at first, and then with more confidence, he began to play. All thoughts of the La Bel mansion banquet fell away as he lost himself in the music of his own making, echoing through his new home. This was all he needed. Music at home, any time he wanted, and Hiyoko standing there and watching him with delight.

As the last notes died down, Hiyoko swept him up in her hands. “Sakuya, that was beautiful!”

“I should be thanking you,” he said, as she carefully placed him back on the top of the piano. “You’ve given me such an incredible gift. I can’t thank you enough.”

Hiyoko grinned. “Hearing your music is all the gift I need!”

“Ah, but I still got you something else! It’s… oh no, I forgot!”

He fluttered over to their cooking fire and started poking frantically at the pot again. “Oh good, it’s not ruined. Hiyoko, Okosan, please take a seat. Christmas dinner is ready.”

He carefully dished up their meals and pushed them across the floor. Hiyoko picked the bowl, breathed in the steam.

“Sakuya, it smells delicious. I didn’t know you could cook food like this. And it’s… udon?”

“Yes.” He took a deep breath. “Do you remember when you found me in the music room after school one day? When I asked you what you loved most?”

She smiled at him over the bowl. “Yes. It was the day I realised you needed my help.”

“But I remembered what you said.”

“Yes. What I love most is udon.”

“It doesn’t seem like much, but I wanted to give you something for Christmas.”

“Sakuya, it’s perfect.” Hiyoko leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “What could be a better gift than the thing I love the most?”

Meanwhile, Okosan eyed the bowl suspiciously, took a sip of broth and almost exploded. “COO! COO!” (THIS IS NOT PUDDING?)

“And I got the thing that Okosan loves most,” she added, dryly, handing the other dove a tub of pudding. “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

“Merry Christmas.”

“COO!”


End file.
